I'm an Atlantean, Not a Mermaid
by EpicKiya
Summary: Kaldur never figured he would the victim of many mermaid jokes after Disney practically brought his team to the dark side. He also never thought he would be sporting a tail. Guess it was fate's sense of humor.


**I'm an Atlantean, Not a Mermaid**

 **Summary: Kaldur never figured he would the victim of many mermaid jokes after Disney practically brought his team to the dark side. He also never thought he would be sporting a tail. Guess it was fate's sense of humor.**

 **Disclaimer: I don't own Young Justice or anything Disney mentioned in here. I own random characters such as the mermaids though. And I also don't know any Alessia Cara songs.**

 **Notes: I couldn't help myself, alright? Just couldn't. Besides, I needed to write a DC fic sooner or later. I have been working on this fic since… January I believe. And really, I just need more Mermaid Kaldur in my life. I really do. And I also blame my love for the DC Abridged series. I also kind of forgot that Conner doesn't fly in the show, but he does in the Teen Titans comic, so it short of ties in with universe.**

 **Warnings: Alright! So be aware that this fic involves, cursing, same-sex relationships (both 'canon in this fiction' and hinted), no believes in gender (the girls do stick to 'queen' for Kaldur, you'll see), mature content, the team are total trolls, my attempt at humor, mermaid Kaldur as I mentioned, and it's long. Yeah. This fic is long. And Roy. I'm counting Roy as a warning because he's Roy, but I still love him.**

 **Is that all? Yes! That is! So go. Go read on. GIVE ME A CHANCE!**

* * *

"Hey, you think if he ever had to wear a ring he had have to wear it halfway? Maybe on a chain?"

"What about a bracelet? He could wear a bracelet as a replacement for the ring."

"True. He done has nice wrists."

"I agree. You think soon when _he_ gets that stick out of his butt he'll give him a promise bracelet… or ring?"

"Maybe."

"What are you two talking about?"

Zatanna and Artemis turned their widened gazes at the familiar baritone voice of their subject of their conversation. Pale greens blinked in both concern and just mere curiosity. "Um… just… clothes, Kaldur.", Zatanna answered uneasily. Kaldur stared at her for just a moment, knowing to not believe her lie, but he decided not to dwell on it. He walked past them and headed for the cupboards. He pulled out a cup of ramen noodles, beef flavored, mind you. Last time when ramen noodles was brought… well… let's just say that all the apprentices cut off all communication to their mentors for a whole week.

"Yeah, clothes. Speaking of which, you look good in that hoodie. I don't remember us buying you that hoodie though.", Artemis recalled. The girls had long ago cornered Kaldur into shopping with them, along with Conner who willing went because Tim asked, buying him more clothes and forcing him to not put his uniform under any of it unless he felt it was _necessary._ Which meant when they felt it was necessary.

Kaldur's face tinged with a red for a moment while his eyes casted downwards to avoid eye contact. "Um… thank you. It's not my hoodie though, Artemis. It's…"

"Roy's?", the girls finished.

"Yes."

"Figured as much. Where is he anyways?" By now, Kaldur's noodles were in the microwave.

"Den. The others are there, too. We're about to watch a movie. A Disney movie I recall. A classic."

"Hm. If it's 'Robin Hood' I'm not joining.", Artemis admitted.

"No. It's 'The Little Mermaid'."

The microwave beeped. Kaldur opened it, getting out the noodles with a napkin. His hands were sensitive to heat after all. Artemis and Zatanna got up off their stools and followed him out once the older began to leave the kitchen. The trio arrived to the den, finding their companions seated in various positions with assortments of snacks, drinks, and blankets. Dick looked very cozy in his blue and black burrito of a blanket. He turned just as Artemis and Zatanna took unoccupied seats, the magician snagging a cookie, a "Hey!" from Garfield.

"There you are! The movie is starting! You're about to miss the concert!"

"Dick, we all have seen this movie before."

"I haven't, Artemis…", Conner voiced, Tim giggling beside him. And wearing one of his tee shirts.

"Yeah. Maybe except for Conner… oh and maybe Bart… and um… who else am I forgetting?"

"Kaldur. Kaldur hasn't seen this movie and it takes place under the sea.", Roy joked. He grunted at the elbow that went to his side. He glared at the Atlantean beside him, who just kept his eyes to the screen with noodles in his mouth. Adorable!

"Hey, how about we try not to make any jokes during _this_ movie because you-know-who is present, okay?", Cassie suggested.

"Guys, what about La'gaan? He's Atlantean, too!", M'gann pointed out.

Said male just shrugged. "Feel free to make any jokes really. Besides, I already went through that phase."

"No! Nobody's talking through this movie at all! Got it? Now shush!", Tim ordered, being both considerate about those who haven't seen the movie and excited. What can he say? It's a classic.

Everyone nodded, becoming silent when the concert started… but not before this was shouted.

"Hey! I spotted Mickey Mouse, Goofy and Donald!"

"Kermit's not too far from them either…"

* * *

Despite the promises made no one kept to them. By the time they reached the scene to when Ariel was in her secret treasure trove and was singing about the surface world, the comments, questions and jokes came.

"Say, Kaldur?"

Kaldur's stone gaze averted over to Wally. "Yes?"

"Do you guys ever… sing?"

"It is merely a myth that mermaids sing out of the blue like that and are curious about the surface world. Over the years we have been under King Arthur's reign, we are more open to venture out, but with precautions."

"Oh. But do mermaids exist?"

"Actually yes. Mer _maids_ exist. But they are not as beautiful as depicted in this movie or other past movies made them to be. More recent movies have been close to accuracy. You also know them as sirens."

"Wait! You're kidding! So, they actually lure men in with singing, drown them and eat them?", Jaime asked.

Kaldur nodded, his eyes now back to the screen.

"More so. They are rather mischievous and toy with whoever they please. It is not just men either. Some women become trapped, but are either turned into mermaids themselves or killed. Not all mermaids are born from mermaids 'having intercourse' with men."

"Hm. How are Atlanteans different from mermaids? Biology wise.", Miss Martian asked.

"Well, we have legs, can breathe on land for longer periods of time, some of us do not look as 'human' and more animal-like. There are many differences. Mermaids evolved to live underwater and developed a different view of the world and how to live it from us just as humans and animals that live on the surface do."

"Ah."

It became silent once more when Eric and Ariel had their 'moment' on the beach. As in, Eric waking up from Ariel singing in his face. That's actually kind of rude when you think about it. Who does that? Granted the dude almost effing drowned, but what if he was taking a nap? Just a nap and wanted to catch some rays? That would be rude.

Anyways…

"Hey, you think Aquaman will have like seven daughters in the future and give them all an 'A' name?", Dick joked.

"Oh my gosh, Dick! That's not… you know what? It is. It is kind of funny.", Zatanna laughed.

"He's got the trident. He's a king. He lives in Atlantis. And a beard!"

"Guys! Guys! Trying to actually watch the movie here!", Roy scowled.

Silence once more.

Kaldur was thankful for that. And Conner who was indulged in the movie. Sebastian the crab was entertaining. Come on, peeps. He is.

Roy wrapped his arm around the Atlantean, feeling the other tuck his head under his chin and cuddling closer. He could smell his own faint scent from the hoodie Kaldur adorned while also catching a hint of the ocean. It was relaxing really, and with Kaldur who was normally a calm person made it all better.

"Hey, you guys seen the second movie, right?", Wally asked out of the blue. And almost to the part when Ariel was getting her legs.

"Yes, Wally. What is it?", Cassie asked.

"Well… I realized that Kaldur and Ariel's daughter, Melody, have something in common."

A glare.

"Don't you say it."

"It's…"

"Don't you dare say it, Wally."

"It's…"

"DON'T YOU DARE!"

"They're both half fish people and half human."

Despite being fast, Wally was too slow ducking the pillow that came and whacked him on the head. He was about to growl about it, but the death snarl Roy aimed at him wouldn't have been worth it. So he settled for pouting.

Kaldur had wanted to curl in a ball at this point. He knew that after today… no, scratch that. He knew after the _movie_ the jokes and questions was going to keep on coming. Judging by the smirks and giggles, he knew they were probably going to lay it on him hard.

* * *

"So can you sing?"

And be damned, he was right.

Kaldur'ahm had let out a groan of annoyance, keeping his eyes forward so he didn't have to look at the grins his friends were giving him. Roy had been rubbing the small of his back to comfort him… while also glaring at the others.

"I don't know if I can, Wally. I haven't tried, thought to try, or even done so."

"Okay, okay. How about Aquaman?"

"Do not know."

"Your mom?"

"She sung me lullabies when I was younger. She has a nice voice."

"Your dad?"

"He is… Wait! He is human! You guys know that! Unless you're talking about my other father? I don't know if he could sing either. He never really did."

"Right. Um… so… how about- OW!"

"Wallace West, enough! Stop harassing Kaldur or I'm sticking an arrow up your ass! It's not an empty threat, I will do it! And trust, this goes to _every single one of you_.", the male archer of the team hissed, narrowing his eyes in promise. Wally and the others quickly quietened down, each taking refuge to the nearest bedroom or zeta tube to their homes. Roy smirked in satisfaction at their immediate squirming. "That ought to teach them." Kaldur nudged his side. "Roy, that was a little harsh. Do you not think so?" The red head spun the other around to the other side of him before taking his waist. "Babe, babe, babe. That threat is nothing compared to what I was thinking of saying. Believe it."

"I assure you I do."

"You know that they're not going to stop there, right?"

"I am aware they won't. Also, I am positive you will throw in a few jokes as well."

Roy nodded. It was the truth though, so Kaldur was expecting his answer. "Damn right I am, fish sticks. So I'm going to get the first joke out the way." Kaldur yelped in surprise when Roy snatched him up, placing him in his arms bridal style. His face got hotter at the predatory grin his boyfriend was giving him while rubbing over his sensitive arm tattoos. "R-Roy?" The archer pressed their foreheads together, looking right into pale stone greens. "So, Kaldur, tell me. Do you want to become part of my world?"

"Roy…"

"Do you, _little mermaid_?"

"You're so lame."

"And _talented_. Now let me love you up."

Kaldur could only laugh kindheartedly as he was carried off.

* * *

Nonetheless, Roy was right about the team not quitting with 'The Little Mermaid' jokes. For the next three days, Kaldur found himself being the end of any pun, joke, and tease that could be thought of. Even more so when the girls started purchasing him merchandise from the movie or related to mermaids. Once or twice (definitely more) he would walk into the room and found a plushy of a character sitting on a couch, stool, counter-top, wherever. Even though he wouldn't admit it, they were pretty cute plushies. The Ursula one was indeed his favorite. He wouldn't _ever_ admit that one. Artemis actually got him a tee shirt with Ariel on it. "You don't have to wear it in public. Just maybe in the bedroom.", she had suggested to him before throwing the shirt in his hands and running off. Dick almost brought him purple and green lingerie. Immediately Kaldur put a halt to that, giving the first Robin a glare that would make Batman, Ra's al Ghul, and the Joker proud. Roy was indeed just a bit upset.

Now, Kaldur wasn't per say mad about the teasing. More amused really. The team had their own weird ways of showing their friendship and affections for each other, so he honestly didn't mind that much. Still embarrassed and could get pissed off when they went a tad bit too far, but humored by it all.

He felt like the team was their siblings or at least cousins, and like brothers, sisters and cousins would do to show their affections, they would make fun, from what he heard from Tim, Conner, and Dick. Though Tim was sure a certain 'demon spawn' was really trying to kill him.

Anyways…

Kaldur wasn't at all pissed off or a bit uneasy since he knew it would pass. They'll laugh about it and eventually forget it all happen. Maybe bring it up again in the future, but it wasn't doing harm.

What set the limit though was their next mission.

* * *

"So reports of missing yachts, ships, and even a ferry within the past two days? And within the same area?"

The team was gathered around Batman and the other senior members as of now. They were already in uniform, ready to take off since this sounded like an instant attack.

"Close. The vessels are returned in one piece, but reports are showing a few missing people. Those people happened to be men.", the Flash voiced as Batman brought up a few screens showing pictures of said men. "I already did background checks on them. What stood out was their similar marital status."

"What does that have to do with anything?", Beast Boy asked. Somehow, Kaldur knew where this was going.

"Each of those men are either single or divorced."

Yup. Something definitely fishy is going on… pun intended.

"Wait. So men from boats in water areas are missing, each happened to be single or divorced?", Cassie pondered.

"There's more to it, kids. We talked to some of the people who witnessed these events. A couple of them pointed out singing. To them it sounded something out of an opera. They also pointed out figures to fast to catch and the men just walking straight off the boats.", Green Arrow added. "Is this making sense?"

"A bit. Whatever is attacking has an attraction to single men, live in bodies of water, fast, and sing like angels. Hm. Sounds like…" Red Robin stopped when he added it up. Behind the mask, his eyes averted over to Kaldur. Said male felt the stare and looked back at him, his face heated and a sigh coming on. "It's what I think it is, isn't it?" The younger nodded. The rest of the team looked back and forth, noting their silence. Conner crossed his arms and huffed. "Well?"

"We're dealing with _mermaids_ here.", Tim answered. Zatanna quickly placed a hand over her mouth, forcing back a laugh. Miss Martian, Artemis, and Wonder Girl giggled. The others laughed while Kaldur buried his heated face within his hands, turning his back on them with a groan.

The mentors blinked, exchanged looks, and glanced back at their juniors. "Um… is there something we're not aware of?", Captain Marvel asked.

"This situation isn't funny.", Martian Manhunter scowled, crossing him arms. Miss Martian muffled her laughing behind her hand. "Sorry, uncle. It's just… hee hee."

"A few days ago we watched 'The Little Mermaid'. One of our teammates have been suffering since.", Red Arrow finished.

It wasn't fucking rocket science as to who either. Lagoon Boy may be a water based hero and Atlantean, too, but he wasn't as close to being 'mermaid-like' as Kaldur was. Aquaman walked over and placed a comforting hand on his first trainee's shoulder. "It will be over soon."

"I hope so."

Well, he better do a lot of hoping.

* * *

Within limited time, the team of young heroes was now flying over the designated ocean, keeping their eyes peeled for any fucked up activity. Well, mermaids. Which Aqualad was still… iffy about. Mermaids? Really?! Fate had a real jacked up way of being funny. Honestly! Real jacked up!

"So anyone getting anything?", Impulse asked.

"Still nothing. I'm not getting anything on the scans. Miss Martian?", Red Robin questioned.

"Nothing. Wait… um… nope. Nothing."

"It's either these mermaids are really deep underwater and are taking a day off or they're playing tricks on us.", Kid Flash sighed. "It's been almost two hours."

Just outside the ship, Wonder Girl and Superboy kept scanning the water. Superboy groaned. "This is getting bothersome. Something better happen soon or-"

"Isn't that a boat?"

Just not too far, almost near the shore of a beach, was a blue and white boat. Occupying it was three individuals, one woman and two men. All three was clad in their swimsuits, drinking and conversing like they weren't in no damn danger whatsoever. Oh, okay then. Some mermaid is probably swimming up and about to eat-

"Hey, I picking up on some activity here. Right near that boat, too.", Red Robin voiced just as splashes could be heard.

"Shit.", Blue Beetle cursed just as singing, angelic gentle singing reached their ears. One of the men dropped his glass, breaking it, and slowly strolled over to the edge of the boat. Two blue skinned arms came up and snaked around his neck. A woman, a rather gorgeous woman, revealed herself with swirling water surrounding her and a smile that would put the hottest model to shame. Her hair was silver, outlined her small baby-like face, and emphasizing the ice blues of her eyes. From her face and down was a light apricot tone, but her arms and the gills of her neck was the same shade of crystal sapphire blue. She looked something straight out of a photo shoot or a movie.

She was still singing to the enchanted man, the woman and other man stepping back in fear and wondering what the hell is going on.

"Well, Superboy, looks like something is happening.", Aqualad sighed just as the blue woman pulled the man into the water. The ship opened up for him, allowing him to dive right into the water. He spotted the finned woman, also catching sight of her tail. Her arms were wrapped around the captured man, who looked way too high on love, like some snack a hungry teen was protecting. He swam over and grabbed his ankle, pulling him right out the mermaid's grip. He turned and sped off towards the shore, hearing not one growl, but _sets_ of growls. From the corner of his eye, he caught a trio of mermaids swimming towards him, snarling.

One reached out to scratch at him but she missed. The Atlantean had dodged her, jumping out the water and landing on the sandy surface. He set the man down at a safe distance. Said man was unconscious, but breathing. Aqualad was relieved. But not too much since he can still hear the snarling from the mermaids. He looked over his shoulder, finding numerous heads pop out the water, glares on and hisses activated. The rest of the team landed on the beach as well, facing the mermaids. "Hm. After hearing the tales about these creatures, I never thought I had to face one.", Lagoon Boy admitted. Artemis and Red Arrow readied their bows, aims set. "Well, I never thought I had to actually fight one. And I always thought mermaids were cool.", Artemis added.

"I don't think this is going to be much of a fight. They seem stuck in the water.", Nightwing pointed out.

It was then the team ever regretted cockiness. One of the mermaids, a pink haired one with tanned skin and lilac scales, laughed. "Oh, you poor unfortunate souls. Are you truly that confident that you hold the upper hand because you have legs?"

"Well, it's not like you can suddenly walk on land… right?", Beast Boy questioned nervously.

His question wasn't answered verbally. The mermaids began to rise out the water, glowing as the water swirled around their bodies. The team stepped back several steps as the mermaids settled on the sand… with _feet_. Their beautiful curvy forms began to change, becoming more outrageous colors, their faces changing from that of models to Mileena straight out of Mortal Kombat. They appeared more like sea creatures found at the bottom of the sea, kind of like a Kraken, sharp claws unsheathed and fangs out and covered in what looked like venom and saliva.

Zatanna growled and glared at Beast Boy. "You had to ask, huh?"

"My bad."

"Since you let our snacks get away, I guess we have to settle on you!", one mermaid, a light green one, sneered. She pounced on Superboy, knocking him to the sand on his back. Getting a firm grip on her arms, he tossed her off. "I'm not becoming anyone's snack! Unless you're Red Robin…", he teased, sparing an affectionate flirty look over at the teen. Red Robin blushed, dodging a mermaid before whacking her with his staff. "Oh my gosh, Superboy! Can you not?! Please?!"

"I take every chance, babe."

"Hey, fight now, flirt later!", Lagoon Boy shouted, going puffer-mode as he and Aqualad was backed into a couple of rocks by three mermaids.

"Oh, these two are Atlantean! What a surprise!", one of them, an orange one, giggled. "And adorable, too! I don't think we could eat these two!"

"The queen would love these two!", another, a cotton candy blue one squealed.

The two Atlanteans exchanged baffled looks. "Um… you understood any of that?", Lagoon Boy muffled. Aqualad shook his head, not even sure of what to make of this situation. The mermaids stepped closer, giggling in the most disturbing way. "Come here, you little cuties!", the third one, with mauve scales, cooed. Aqualad unsheathed one of his waterbearers and formed a large hammer with it from the nearby water with them. When one of the mermaids lunged at him, he knocked her to the side, her landing in the water. And she had seemed not to be resurfacing anytime soon. Good.

"Since under the sea seems better, how about you stay there?!", Wonder Girl sassed, tossed a couple of mermaids back in the water overhead with her lasso. Miss Martian was knocking mermaids out, invisible. "Wow, a 'The Little Mermaid' reference?"

"Aqualad's not the only one we can use those jokes on."

"Hey! Now is not the time!", Red Arrow scowled, shooting explosive arrows. "Focus on killer mermaids!"

"Ursula, isn't there some eels you should be hanging out or something?!", Kid Flash taunted, punching one mermaid before she could bite him. He run from the water and took Nightwing's side. He was shocking one mermaid with his escrima sticks. "And stay down, you scaly bitch!"

"Really, Nightwing?", Zatanna laughed. "Erif tsalb!" A blast of fire aimed forward from her wand, forcing the mermaids back into the water as they hissed at her angrily.

The team gathered back together, the mermaids retreating back into the water. Aqualad noticed that they were huddled up, reverting back to their beautiful forms. The water surrounding them began to sparkle and glow before bubbling. The group watched as the mermaids dispersed back into the water as a figure rose out from a swirling bundle. It was yet another mermaid, but more radiant and picturesque than the others. Her hair was a blend of midnight black, neon turquoise and a bright violet. Her strands framed her matured, yet doll-like face like a dark and light halo of elegance, flowing down her shoulders and torso, stopping below the top of her waist. Her eyes were almond shaped, her dark eyelashes fluttering like wings, and her pupils glowing violet with rims of blue. Her skin was a light lavender colors, turquoise and violet glittering scales decorated the sides of her face, forehead, her neck and shoulders. The scales matched her long tail that was a blend of the colors adorning her hair. On top of her head was a crown made from seashells and jewels. Resting on her wrists and neck was a matching necklace and bracelets. All the mermaids were top notch, drop dead gorgeous, but this one?! Hello, nurse!

She smiled lovingly at the group, her eyes sparkling with both mischief and adoration. Using the swirling water-nado, she moved closer. "My, my, what do we have here? A couple of young surface dwellers?"

"Majesty, two of them are of Atlantis.", one of the mermaids informed, popping back out the water like a curious child coming from around a wall.

The mermaid scanned the group, her eyes landing on both Lagoon Boy and Aqualad. Her smile just got wider. "Oh, what a delight! Atlantean visitors!" She jumped out the water, her tail becoming legs with a flowing sheer skirt with slits. She started trotting towards the group like no big whoop. She went out to touch Aqualad, but Red Arrow jumped right in front of him, blocking the mermaid. "Sorry, lady, but he's off limits! Oh, and the other one." Mixed violet eyes narrowed as pink lips curled into a pout. "Oh, phooey! It's been a while since I've seen an Atlantean! Can I just have one?"

"They're not toys, lady! They're our friends! So back off because you're not eating one today!", Artemis scowled. The mermaid stepped back with a gasp, offended. "Eat?! Oh, by the gods! No! When I asked can I have one, I meant to keep! After all, some of my own lovely mermaids are from Atlantis themselves!"

"It's true!", one giggled, popping out like the one before. "Some of us are from Atlantis!"

"Well, if you turned them into mermaids, then you can't with these two!", Blue Beetle hissed.

"And why not?"

"They're _male_! I know it could be hard to tell with Aqualad because he's so damn pretty-"

"Hey!"

"But last time I was informed, you only have _females_ as mermaids! Hence the 'maids' part!", Impulse added in.

The mermaid just shrugged. "Well, since you let those snacks and should-have-been new member get away and you won't let me have one of your Atlanteans, more specifically the blond one, I guess I'll forcefully take one of your young maidens!" Her eyes and hands began to glow as she sung unfamiliar words. Raising her hands, she shot out a blast of purple energy towards the group. Zatanna stepped forward, shouting, "Ecnuob kcab!"

The blast quickly shifted back, the crowned mermaid dodging it. She shot out another blast, aiming for Artemis. With ease, the female archer ducked. Instead of hitting her, it hit…

"Oh shit!"

Pale green eyes began to close as his body went down. The Atlantean went down into the sand, his name and laughter being the last thing he heard.

* * *

"K… Ka… Kaldur…"

"Roy, calling his name isn't just going to wake him up miraculously."

"Butt out, Crock."

"Just saying."

"Guys, you're going to disturb him or something."

"Meg, it's been almost five hours."

"Hey, don't fucking sass me, Wally!"

"Oh my goodness, she just cursed!"

"He's waking up."

At Tim's statement, the others turned and spotted Kaldur's eyes blinking open. Roy was quick at his side as his boyfriend's sight adjusted to the light of the room. Kaldur looked around, noting that they were currently in the clinic of Mount Justice. He also realized he wasn't in his uniform or any other clothes he would expect. Instead he was dressed in a light green tee shirt with pink letters outlined in baby blue that said "Mermaid Vibes, Bitch!" with seashells and matching baby blue sweatpants. His eyes went from wide in shock to narrowed in annoyance. He glared up at his friends. "Who did it?" Fingers pointed in various directions. Kaldur could only roll his eyes and sigh. "I am just going to pretend I did not have knowledge of what I saw." Roy took a hold of his webbed hand, kissing his knuckles lightly. "Babe, you alright? You feeling okay? You need anything? Food? Water? Lots of water?"

"A fork?", Bart asked. Kaldur's eyebrow raised at the suggestion. "A… a fork?" The youngest speedster nodded. "Yeah, a fork. You know for…" He made a gesture of combing his hair if it was longer. Closely resembling…

WHACK!

Bart fell back, landing on Jaime's lap, from a pillow thrown harshly at his face. He was clutched his jaw now, muttering in pain while Kaldur sat in the bed, arms crossed, pout on, and looking both angered and satisfied. Roy chuckled and wrapped his arms around Kaldur's shoulders, kissing his cheek lightly. "Okay, all jokes aside, guys. Seriously, do you need anything, Kal?"

"Water would be nice."

"I'll get it!", Zatanna offered before zooming out the room.

Artemis sighed. "She was a little too eager."

"We should probably inform Batman and the others that you're awake now. Aquaman threw quite a fit to find out you were hit by a mermaid. Are mermaids like… hated or something in Atlantis?", Dick asked.

Kaldur shrugged. "Something like that. We're not at complete odds with mermaids. We just don't share the same beliefs and living styles they do."

"Honestly, it's their eating habits that get me. People? How can you eat people?", La'gaan muttered, crossing his arms.

M'gann eyed him. "But you eat-"

Wally quickly placed a hand over her mouth. "Shush! He doesn't need to know about _that_.", he scowled, removing his hand.

"Why not?"

"It will traumatize him."

By now Zatanna had walked back in with a huge pitcher of cold ice water in one hand and an already poured glass in the other. She passed the glass over to Kaldur who thanked her for it. He practically gulped it down in seconds the moment the rim of the glass touched his lips. The others blinked. Kaldur didn't seem to have notice, instead more focused on the glass in his webbed hand.

"Zatanna, can I have another glass of water?"

The homo magi poured the water without taking her eyes off him. Kaldur took down the glass again. Somehow, he just felt real thirsty. And not like that, damn it! Guessing from the look on his face, Artemis took the pitcher from Zatanna and held it forward. "Um… another glass?" The other blonde just nodded. Tim looked at the others and then back at Kaldur. "That glass should be bigger.", he suggested. Zatanna raised her hand. "Ekam eht ssalg reggib.", she chanted. The glass in Kaldur's hand grew a bit bigger, the water in it also increasing. Kaldur took that down in seconds, too. He looked down into the now empty glass, a pout on his face. The others were a bit puzzled at his sudden change in expression. No one spoke for a while, only staring at their fellow teammate who was still pouting while looking into the glass. After two minutes, Jaime spoke up. "Um… amigo, is there anything else you need?"

"Uh… more water…"

Artemis was just about to pour the glass before Kaldur stopped her.

"With salt… sea salt…"

Okay… kind of strange…

"Sea… salt…?", Roy questioned. Kaldur nodded.

The team exchanged looks before they all stood up. "We're… we're going to be right back.", Wally announced, grabbing Roy and leading him out the room to follow the others. "We'll bring you that salt."

Ignoring Roy's protests, Wally followed the others further down the hall, a good distance so Kaldur couldn't hear. When they were okay with their position, Conner spoke up. "Okay, I'm confused.", he admitted.

"… what the actual fuck?", Artemis questioned. "I get that he's from the sea and all, but… I never seen him so… so…"

"Thirsty?", Bart finished.

"Yeah! Didn't want Kal to sound like some ho."

"My fish-babe is anything but a ho. Back to the matter of hand…", Roy coughed.

"So… um… La'gaan, is this kind of Atlantean thing?", Cassie asked.

Said Atlantean teen shrugged in indifference. "Not precisely, no. We're all different though, so we can adapt to land differently. Sure, once in a while we have to go take a dip, but not like we need to every second. Besides, Kaldur is only _half_ Atlantean.", he reminded.

The others hummed in understanding.

"Right. So maybe… maybe it's from that blast the mermaid hit him with.", Dick recalled. "It could have done something to him."

"Salty bitch.", Roy growled.

"Speaking of salt, we should go buy some. I doubt we have any in the kitchen.", Bart voiced.

"I'll go get it.", Tim offered. "If any of you did, you might just buy salt."

"Is there a difference in salt and sea salt?", Wally asked.

"Dude, that's like asking is there a difference between butter and margarine.", Jaime said.

"Is there?"

"Dumbass.", Artemis scoffed, crossing her arms and heading back to where Kaldur currently was. When the female archer walked in, she gasped, seeing that he wasn't around anywhere. Like nowhere! He just went ghost! The blonde rushed further into the room, looking behind curtains and under the bed, she even checked the medical closet. "Oh shit. Roy's gonna go ballistic.", she muttered fearfully. It was no secret Roy could get a little _frightening_ when it came to Kaldur. She ran out the room and glanced to each end of the hall. Before she could choose a way to take, Roy and the others, sans Tim, reappeared. "Hey, Arty. Whoa, you look a bit… worried.", Cassie pointed out.

Artemis chuckled nervously, slamming the door behind her not too subtle. "Me? Oh… uh… nothing to worry about…"

Roy's eyes seem to have been piercing right through her just then. "Hm."

"Nothing! Really!"

"Is it Kaldur? Tell me now, Crock.", the older archer demanded.

"No! He's doing just fine!"

"You're a bad liar. Move."

"No! He's changing in there! Privacy!"

"You realize as his boyfriend I have seen him nude before, right?"

All the panic Artemis felt just washed away in milliseconds. Her arms went to her sides and her face went from "WE'RE IN BIG FUCKING TROUBLE!" to "TMI, YOU SON OF A BITCH!"

"That… no one needs to be reminded of that."

"Hey, it's not like he has a bad body. Boy should be a model or something."

"Roy Harper…"

"Just saying. But seriously, move so I can check on my future wifey."

"I'm going to pretend you didn't say that either."

Roy smirked, amused with Artemis' discomfort and annoyance. Yup, he enjoyed her misery. "Do that. Now move."

CRASH!

The group jumped hearing the sudden noise. Dick had taken to hiding behind Wally's back while Bart was in Jaime's arms. Both Wally and Jaime didn't mind.

"What the hell was that?!", Garfield questioned, in the form of a… chicken. Yes, a chicken.

"Um… it sounded like it came from the kitchen.", M'gann pointed out.

They headed to said place, wondering the seven seas and Themyscira was going on. When they got there, the first thing they noticed was Wolf chowing down on a bag of cookies in a corner. The second thing they noticed was a few dishes on the floor. The third thing they noticed was that their 'should have been in the clinic' teammate was standing there, bashfully staring at the dishes. It was both a cute and amusing sight since Wolf was awfully happy and had no care in the world that someone was going to complain about those cookies later and Kaldur was still in those offending mermaid pajamas. Then again, they were cute on him.

"Kaldur! What are you doing out of the clinic?", his boyfriend scowled, quickly going to his side while M'gann used her telekinetic powers to put the dishes back.

"Um… sorry. I kind of drunk all the water from the pitcher and came to fill it back up. And I may have been looking for… salt… while knocking over a few things by accident.", the Atlantean admitted, shrugging his shoulders with a nervous expression on his face. Roy just sighed, kissing the other chastely. "You're lucky you're so damn adorable sometimes."

* * *

An hour later, Tim had returned with a bag filled with containments of sea salt. He had found the others scattered about the lounge room, doing whatever to occupy their minds. "I have returned!", he announced. Conner had rushed to him, lifting Tim up bridal style. "Hey, babe!" The two shared a quick kiss, Tim being carried over to where Roy, Kaldur and Dick was watching a movie. Just at their feet was Cassie and Zatanna, the homo magi braiding the other's hair. Roy had grabbed the bag from Tim, taking it to the kitchen while the couple took his spot. Tim noticed that Kaldur was eating a huge bag of pretzels. Extra salty, too. He blinked, deciding to ignore it for the time being. Still baffled him though.

Roy came back a few minutes later with at least five water bottles, currently shaking up one of them before handing it to Kaldur. "Here you go, babe. A nice cold sea salty water bottle for ya.", he teased. "And more." Kaldur abandoned the pretzels, Wolf going at them now, and began his task of emptying the bottles, cuddling to Roy's side again. The others had stopped whatever they were doing just to watch, some of them becoming influenced to go grab a drink or two. Hell, La'gaan wanted to go take a huge dip in the nearest body of water. The options were the pool and the ocean. Yeah…

"Kaldur, are you feeling alright?", M'gann asked, more so concern laced in her tone.

"Um… better, I guess. Tired really now."

"I'm surprised you're not really thirsty from all the sea salt in your water.", Wally muttered. Artemis smacked the back of his head. "Ow!"

"Wallace, don't you remember that Kaldur is from the _sea_? A naturally salty place? Also… filled with fucking water?! Any of this making sense to you?!"

"A little. You don't have to get hysterical now."

"With you? I do."

"We all do.", Bart added in, not catching or ignoring the glare his fellow speedster relative shot him. Jaime was too hot to look away from.

"I think it's time for some food. Pizza anyone?", Tim suggested.

There were several growls from empty stomachs from the word 'food' alone.

"Yeah. Pizza sounds good right now. But for the love of all things good and bad, please don't get the pizza with pineapples. Por favor.", Jaime whined.

"What, you got something against pineapples?", Cassie chuckled.

"Only when they're on pizza."

* * *

They did indeed get an hour or so later. Much to Jaime's disappointment, they got a box of pineapple pizza, which La'gaan and Kaldur ate happily to themselves. Bart and Wally had a box to themselves as well. Nobody attempted to take a slice from their box. Speedsters with their food equaled danger to anyone who was stupid enough to fuck with them. Like Conner. Tim was smart enough to talk him out of it though. So no bloodshed!

The young heroes had decided to watch a movie while chowing down (sorry, giggled a little) on the pizza. They wanted to stir away from any movie involving the ocean or Disney. It came to their shock that while looking through the movie collection that Kaldur suggested 'Splash'.

"Wait. Um… are you sure about that, Kal? That is a movie about a mermaid.", Artemis informed, wondering if that blast from the mermaid not only made Kaldur a bit thirsty but crazy as well. And he was one of the sanest members on the team. So that's actually saying a lot. Really the only crazy thing he has done is dating Roy. They still wondered how he was actually putting up with the redhead. Must be the sex. Hm…

"I am aware of that, Artemis.", Kaldur deadpanned before taking a sip of his sea salty water. He still wondered why he was craving it. That and swimming. He really needed a good swim right now.

The blond archer just only stared, a blankness in her eyes. One eyebrow arched up as she crossed her arms, looking the older up and down. Kaldur stared back, also with a blank gaze. Everyone else looked in between them in silence. Even their chewing and slurping was silent. Roy noticed how Kaldur's gills seem to have wavered, his skin suddenly feeling a little warmer than before under his fingertips. He pulled the other closer against his chest, his chin planting gently on the Atlantean's shoulder. "Hey, Kal, are you feeling okay? You're feeling a little warm."

Kaldur looked back at his boyfriend and kissed his nose. "Just fine."

"You sure?"

"Positive."

"Are we going to watch a movie or not?", Conner questioned, a bit impatiently. Tim nudged him a bit.

"Okay, how about a scary movie? Um… 'Ouija'?", M'gann suggested.

Zatanna and Dick made a face. "No. That movie's not even good.", the magic user whined.

"Or really that scary."

"Dude, you live in Gotham. You faced scarier. I doubt any horror movie could scare you.", Wally sassed his boyfriend.

Dick giggled and kissed the other's forehead. "True. The scariest thing I ever faced would probably be Batman's glare."

"I don't think anyone could object to that.", Garfield agreed. "He is pretty scary."

"Like a Kraken.", La'gaan added in.

Everyone looked his way. Cassie crossed her arms. "Really? A sea joke? At this time?"

The green scaled Atlantean shrugged. "Seemed appropriate."

"It really wasn't.", Bart muttered.

"No, amigo.", Jaime agreed.

Kaldur had stopped drinking his water for a moment. "I thought it was pretty funny."

Roy shrugged. "I admit it was as well. Only because the joke's timing."

"Isn't there some cuddling you two should be doing?", Zatanna scowled, crossing her arms. The male archer simply laughed, shifting Kaldur into his lap and snaking his arms around his waist. He kept his eyes on the others though.

"Yeah. Hey, babe. You wouldn't mind if I… kiss the boy? Would you?"

"Kaldur, it's official. Your boyfriend is lame.", Wally sighed.

"Oh right, like you guys won't make any sea jokes. As a matter of fact, you guys were the first to do it!", said archer protested back, offended.

"Guilty as Ariel not showing up to the concert. She let her fam down, man!"

"Oh my… you know what? I can't even right now! I just can't!"

* * *

It was much later in the night when the young adults and teens started to head back to their homes and rooms. Roy had escorted Kaldur back to his apartment. Ever since they started dating, Roy's place was kept cleaner than how he usually had it. Even the walls were whiter than ever. The archer had promptly teased his Atlantean boyfriend about being his future housewife. That comment alone earned him a water slap to the face and a whole day of the cold shoulder. Kaldur couldn't help that he liked to be tidy. But Roy appreciated nonetheless.

Through the zeta tubes, it only took the couple a few minutes to make it to the apartment. Once inside, Roy had forced Kaldur against a wall and immediately took to kissing the shit of out him. The blonde was shocked, but expected it. Roy was very affectionate when they were alone. But then again he was when they were in the company of others. He didn't mind PDA with Kaldur. In his mind, Kaldur deserved to be loved both mentally and physically every second. In response to the mostly one-sided kissing, Kaldur wrapped his arms around Roy's neck, eagerly kissing his archer back with the same amount of fondness. He felt a tongue nudging at his lips, so he parted them, moaning as hands rubbed his sides before fingers lifted his shirt just a little to caress the warm skin underneath. After a few tastes within the Atlantean's mouth, Roy broke the kiss, his own piercing eyes looking in pale ones. "I have told you how much I love you?"

"Almost every second, Roy. I can tell from how you look at me alone.", Kaldur replied softly.

Roy chuckled. "Oh yeah, now you can. Remember how the team practically had to force us to see how much in love we were? Fucking hilarious."

"Only you would find something so amusing. I have never felt more embarrassed in my life.", the blonde whined, hanging his head down in bashfulness.

Roy kissed the top of his head. "Oh, baby, trust me, that time was some of your greatest moments. However, if you want embarrassment, remember earlier? How you wanted all that salty water? Or how we found you in the kitchen while dishes on the floor?"

Kaldur groaned. Okay, that was more embarrassing. He was never really clumsy until today. Or had he ever felt greedy for any food or drink. Though he would kill for certain foods he had tasted. Yeah…

"Silence, you."

"Aaaahhh, is my little mermaid ashamed?", Roy teased, nudging his nose against Kaldur's left cheek. The other whined, turning his head to the side. "You're so gullible, babe."

"How?"

"Because all fish fall for things. Hook, line and sinker."

Kaldur didn't hesitate to punch Roy's arm.

"Ow! Kaldur!"

"That joke was indeed lame."

Roy laughed, placing his arms securely around Kaldur's waist while the other's hands was pressed against his chest. "Yeah, well, you love me for it. Hook, line and sinker."

"You've been waiting to say that, haven't you?"

"Yes I have. I also been waiting to lie down in the bed with you."

"Something tells me…"

"I do. Now come on, Kal. Let me show you why you would want to be a part of my world."

"You have said that joke before."

"Don't care. Convincing you that you would love to be part of my world."

* * *

Honesty to Poseidon, did he. The following morning had begun with eyelids fluttering open, revealing sparkling pale orbs. Kaldur had woken up feeling quite relaxed and overly blissful. He could practically see himself glowing after what happened last night. He always did. But something… something didn't feel right.

Kaldur groaned, scooting back a little into Roy's tightening embrace. Despite the over-sized tee he was adorning, he could feel the archer's bare chest against his back as if he was naked himself. Well, if you took away the shirt he technically was.

"I hope that I got you pregnant last night. A daughter named Melody with you would be awesome."

"Not that I do not agree with you, my love, but why do I have a feeling that was another mermaid joke?"

"If you have seen 'The Little Mermaid 2' then yes. You would be right."

The Atlantean just chuckled, adjusting his body a bit to sit up. Well, tried. He suddenly felt… faint and dazed. There was a sense of lightheadedness and he was definitely thirsty… and craving sea salt. He tried to sit up again, but couldn't. He even tried moving his legs. Unfortunately, he had no feeling in them. Absolutely _no_ feeling. He started to gasp as if he was trying to breathe the air like a fish out of water. (Okay, I'm sorry for that. Really am.)

Roy noticed the sudden discomfort, shifting Kaldur on his back and placing his hand on his forehead. Kaldur's skin felt really hot and clammy (sorry again), his gills fluttering harshly. Cue immediate panic.

"Kaldur, babe, what's wrong? You can't breathe?"

"N-no… can't… water…"

The archer did some quick thinking, noting how Kaldur's fingers was clenching into the sheets. Not in pleasure either. The redhead ran out the bed and headed to the bathroom. He turned on the cold water in the tub. Just cold water since he was acknowledged of the fact that his boyfriend preferred cold water. He ran back to the room, finding that Kaldur was just a little calmer, his gasping halted, but his skin still visibly warm. He lifted the blonde out the bed and carried him to the bathroom, gently placing him in the tub. The moment his foot touched the water, Kaldur instantly calmed down, sighing happily at the release he felt. He turned to Roy who took to sitting by the tub to keep an eye on him. He could care less if he was just in his boxers.

"Thank you, Roy. I doubt I would have been able to help myself then.", he admitted. Roy took hold of his webbed hands and kissed the knuckles gently before pressing his forehead against Kaldur's.

"You know I'd do anything for you. I don't mind helping you. Everyone needs help occasionally."

"I feel so helpless right now. So… out of it."

"Babe, the last thing you are is helpless. Trust me on that one. But might I ask why?"

Kaldur sighed, letting go of Roy's hands so he can sink deeper into the water. It felt good, but it wasn't enough. "I… I just felt I could not breathe. Like I was drowning… only in air."

"Like a fish out of water?"

There was a chuckle to that.

"Yeah. Like a fish out of water. Literally. But… that is not the least of my problems at the moment."

From that downplayed tone, Roy knew that Kaldur was indeed in more trouble.

"Something else?"

Kaldur nodded, his face heating up in shame. "Yes. I… I can't… I can't feel my legs, Roy."

Roy's eyes widened at that statement. He glanced at Kaldur's legs as if something magical was going to happen before looking back into pale greenish greys. "Wait. You can't walk?"

"No."

"Was I too rough last night?"

"Roy!"

"What? I just want to know! Next time I would know to go slower or softer if you just tell me-"

"Roy Harper! It's not that!"

"Are you sure? You know sometimes I can't help myself. Besides, you never really complain before. After all, it's you who demands me to give it to you like a-"

SMACK!

"Ow!"

"Quiet."

"Sorry."

"Forgiven. But seriously, I literally can't feel my legs. It is as if they are not there. But strangely enough… I have an urge to swim."

Roy backtracked those words, rubbing his right cheek where Kaldur's webbed hand slapped him. That actually really hurt. "So you can't feel your legs, but you want to swim?"

"Precisely, Roy."

"Hm. Well, you can't do that in a tub."

"No you cannot."

"Well, I guess I better take you to some larger body of water."

"Hideout?"

"Hideout."

"Alright. But I recommend that you dress first, Roy. I don't think anyone would want to see your lack of clothes."

"Oh, like you mind."

"You know I don't. I very much appreciate the view."

"When did you get so perverted?"

"When I started dating you, Roy."

"Hm. Believable. Although, I don't mind really. It's undeniably fucking sexy."

"Roy!"

* * *

The couple had dressed into some comfortable civilian clothes, Roy in jeans and a black muscle tee while Kaldur wore one of his hoodies, a red one, and sweatpants. It didn't long for them to arrive to the rebuilt, but relocated hideout, where the others were already present. Even the mentors. Roy had carried Kaldur in who immediately ducked his head in the other's neck when they crossed the others in the den. Aquaman's eyebrow rose in question at the sight while Green Arrow looked every bit of amused. "Do I want to know?", the aquatic blonde asked.

Roy smirked. "Kaldur can't walk at the moment."

"Oh my goodness.", Tim muttered, the others having varied reactions to Roy's statement. The archer got a hit to his arm for it.

"Roy! Guys, it's not like that! I literally can't walk!"

"You're not making it any better on yourself, Kal.", Cassie voiced.

"Oh my… no! It has nothing to do with that! I just can't feel my legs! Like they're not there! Not working! Damn it!"

Zatanna giggled. "I love how he gets hysterical."

"Stop it!"

"Sorry, Kal! You're adorable right now!", M'gann smiled.

Kaldur pouted, turning back in Roy's neck to avoid any more eye contact. It wasn't even noon yet. Seeing that Kaldur was indeed suffering from even more embarrassment, Roy decided to help his boyfriend out.

"Hey, quit it. Kaldur'ahm simply can't walk. He has no feeling in his legs at all."

"Oh. Okay. Much better.", Wonder Woman sighed. "By great Hera, you two make beautiful children, but…"

"No one wants to hear about your possibly great sex life.", Cassie finished.

"You people are by far the worst.", Kaldur growled, still not looking at any of them.

"Hey, we try.", Artemis said, shrugging.

"Hm."

"Although… the sex was great."

"Roy!"

"I got the back scratches to prove it, too."

"Roy Harper!"

"Like his face when-"

"Shut up right now, damn it! Or I swear you'll see no good days for the rest of this year!"

Roy immediately stopped. He knew Kaldur would go through with the threat. Last time he pissed him off, he got a visit from a couple of piranhas through his plumbing system. How the Atlantean managed that was still a question. And not a moment he wanted to re-live.

"But seriously, Kaldur can't walk at the moment and needs to be put in a pool or tank stat.", Roy added.

Garfield blinked. "Wait. Why?"

"He has an urge to swim."

"And a craving for sea salt again. Honestly, I think whatever that mermaid shot out done something to me.", Kaldur admitted. He was really desiring the need for a large body of salty water right now… and chips… seaweed chips. (Those are actually pretty good… don't judge me!)

"Well, let's head to that huge lake-like pool at the end of the hall. Thank goodness we found another hideout that has underground pools.", Wally teased. Roy and Kaldur shared eyerolls.

* * *

"Well, you seem to be okay, but I have no idea what the problem could be with your legs."

As of now, the group of heroes was gathered around Kaldur who was sitting on the edge of the lake-like pool Wally mentioned earlier. He felt way better than he had before that morning. He felt he could breathe. "It's okay, M'gann. Whatever it is it will probably pass. I feel fine now."

"Do you really?", Garfield further questioned. Kaldur nodded.

Aquaman went to his first protégé's side and placed a hand on his shoulder. "Kaldur, you know we're here to help you, right? You don't always have to take care of yourself."

"I know, my King. Roy made sure of that. I am feeling much better than I have before."

"He was literally gasping for water like a fish out of water earlier. Literally. And yes, I'll shut up now, fish sticks.", Roy voiced, catching Kaldur's glare. "No more puns."

"I already know you won't keep to that promise."

"I didn't promise in the first place."

Kaldur sighed, sinking deeper in the water so that it was up to his chest. "Why are we dating again?"

"Because I'm sexy and you couldn't resist me."

"Believe that if you must.", Artemis taunted, smirking and crossing her arms in a sassy posture. "Kaldur probably just felt sorry for you. You know he's nice like that."

"Oh you little… I know Kaldur is nice like that. He's a bunch of other things, too. Most which you aren't."

"Please enlightened me on such factors."

"Well, for one, he's classier than you."

"I can be classy!"

"Yeah, try it. He's also very quick-minded. You think too slow. And you use to date Wally, so that's saying a lot."

"Hey!", said redhead speedster hollered. "What the hell is that supposed to mean?!"

"A lot of things. Hey, Grayson, be careful."

"Oh you are so going to get it, mister!"

While Wally, Roy and Artemis went at it, Kaldur had decided to sink down deeper into the water, disappearing out of sight. No one noticed because they were quite entertained by the three-way fight. Even Batman. Kaldur felt relieved with the water surrounding his body, the coolness tickling his skin and gills. And he was actually swimming! His legs felt like they worked, but more so in sync than separately. His mind was clear of the past few hours, only possessing the thoughts of…

"Wow, I am really hungry right now."

Kaldur swam back up to the surface, seeing that the others were still occupied with the silliness. Wally was no longer in the fight, more occupied with holding Dick and nuzzling him like a kitten.

"You better watch, Harper! Or I'll stick an arrow up your ass!"

"Likewise, you blond bitch!"

"Guys?", the Atlantean tried, but no dice.

"Oh how does Kaldur put up with you?! You're such an annoyance!"

"Takes one to know one, right? Fucking replacement."

"I take offense to that one.", Tim muttered. Conner just wrapped his arm around his waist and kissed his cheek.

"Guys?", Kaldur tried again. But once again, he was ignored. He pouted in displeasure at it, never liking being overlooked. He was about to just climb out the water, but a tinkle from his legs drew his attention. He glanced down into the water and saw colorful swirls. His eyes widened at the abnormal movement of the water. It couldn't be anything good.

"You know what? Let's go! Right here, right now!"

"No thanks, you wouldn't be much of a challenge."

"You son of a-"

"HEY! CAN YOU TWO BE QUIET FOR JUST A MOMENT AND LISTEN?!"

Everyone turned their attention to the obviously pissed off Kaldur'ahm, quiet in doing so. The young adult had his arms crossed, a scowl that would definitely be permanent if someone didn't make him happy.

"Kaldur'ahm, is something the matter?", Martian Manhunter asked in his usual calm tone.

The other nodded. "Yes. Apparently, I just witnessed an abnormal occurrence within the water during that squabble."

"Sorry.", the two hotheaded archers apologized, looking every bit of fucking guilty.

"What did you see?", Cassie asked, walking closer to the water and looking down. Kaldur's scowl changed into an embarrassed pout. He followed the other blonde's gaze when he realized just what had happened and the reason why he couldn't feel his legs before. Whatever she saw had her and Kaldur blushing. "Oh…"

"What? What is it?", Jaime questioned.

"Um… yeah… Aquaman, I think you better handle this one.", Cassie suggested, walking backwards from the pool while still staring into it. "Ooh, Kal, I'm so sorry."

"What? Suspense is killing me.", the Flash voiced, the fellow speedsters appearing just as impatient.

"By the sky up above, is that…?!", Superman gasped, startled.

Kaldur was now deadpanned. "You… you x-ray vision me, didn't you?"

"I did. I won't lie."

"Honesty.", Batman deadpanned. Superman looked back at and was about to say something, but immediately shut up at the Bat's glare. The Dark Knight continued. "Kaldur, what did Superman see?"

"I… I know exactly what is happening to me now. It was the mermaid's blast."

"How you figure?", Wonder Woman asked.

Kaldur's answer started with a splash. Eyes averted over to where the splash was heard from. Only piercing silence. Seeing what they saw, the younger heroes came to realize that fate, destiny, whatever had a really, _really_ fucked up sense of humor. Kaldur started to feel uneasy under the stares. "Can… can you say something?"

"What is there to say? You have a… a… uh…", Dick started. He wasn't sure how to react.

"I know. I have a tail."

"A _mermaid_ tail. And honestly, it's not a bad look on you.", Zatanna admitted. She sat down close enough to Kaldur, reaching out to touch the sheer fin at the end of the tail. "Ooh. Neat. Can you feel that?"

"It tickles a little. I do not feel any pain of any sort."

"Can I just admit I'm actually jealous right now? Kaldur, you look… look… beautiful!", M'gann squealed, taking Zatanna's side to touch Kaldur's newly formed tail.

Instead of legs, which Roy was already missing, was a long slender tail. The scales of it was a gradient blend of aqua green, pale green and black. The end fin was a sheer black, wispy in its movement like ocean waves under a moonless night sky. That was all…

"No… wow… um… uh…"

"The mermaid has turned Kaldur into a mermaid.", Cassie bluntly stated, clearing up what Green Arrow was trying to say, now less shocked about she saw earlier.

"Technically, it's merman. Kaldur is definitely male.", Roy smirked. "I would know."

"Harper, can you just like not for at least five minutes?", Garfield gagged. "No one needed to hear that."

"Ditto.", Artemis agreed as she and Cassie joined M'gann and Zatanna in marveling over Kaldur's tail. The Atlantean had hid his face being his hands with a groan. When will the torture end?! "Kal, Zee's totally right. You look absolutely fucking gorgeous!"

"When is he not?", Roy voiced, coming into the water beside his boyfriend. He didn't mind the wet material of his jeans sticking to his legs now. He wrapped his arms around Kaldur from behind and reached for his scaly waist. With his face still covered by his hands, no one could see how he bit his lip at the archer's touch. That part of him was now unnaturally sensitive. "Roy Harper, stop touching me there please.", he growled threateningly, but it was muffled behind his hands. The redhead chuckled, nuzzling his cheek between Kaldur's shoulders, which was still covered by the hoodie, and tightened his hold around the other's waist. "What's the matter, baby? Sensitive?", the archer mocked. He received a growl in response, probably promising him all the pain in the world later. Totally worth it though. He was most fucking definitely going to milk this moment and many more to come. Kaldur was a mermaid… man… merman. He… he had a tail! And honestly, the scales alone were hypnotizing with their fancy shimmery gleam. The colors really brought out Kaldur's eyes. As if they weren't bright enough.

"Well, this is an issue, isn't it?", Jaime questioned, sparing a glance at Batman. The detective caught it, returned it before looking back at Kaldur.

"Obviously. Kaldur'ahm will be out of commission. That depends on how long it takes to reverse him back to normal. Whether this is permanent or temporary, I can't promise."

"Temporary, I pray to the gods. Hopefully this form does not last long since I am male. Harper, do _not_ comment anything on that.", the merman turned teen hissed out after removing his hands. Roy shrugged, knowing it was probably for the best to do as Kaldur said.

"For now, it's just best to stay here until that spell or whatever is gone.", Flash suggested. "Your teammates can stay at the hideout to watch over you."

"Do you require anything as of right now, Kaldur'ahm?", Wonder Woman asked kindly.

"Um… is it safe to say that I am craving seaweed right now?"

"Ew. Seaweed? Really?", Conner questioned, gagging.

"Dude, you obviously never had sushi before.", Wally pointed out. "Seaweed's good… with certain things… like rice… and um… yeah…"

"I think Kaldur meant was actual plain seaweed.", Artemis voiced.

"Is this another Atlantean delicacy that we need be informed of? Like do you guys actually eat seaweed?"

"As a matter of fact, Conner, we do eat seaweed. In dishes or snacks.", La'gaan huffed, crossing his arms. "And come on! There are some pretty weird foods here on the surface! Who in the hell eat craisins? What the hell is a craisin?!"

"It's dried up cranberries.", Tim informed. "Like how raisins are dried up grapes."

"Who in the hell eats raisins?!"

"Hey! I actually like raisins!", Wally protested.

"And I like seaweed! Nothing wrong with that!"

"I have no problem with that! Conner Kent over here does!"

"Hey, don't put me in this!"

"You were the one that was all like 'Seaweed. Ew. Gross' on us. I bet…" Wally added a rather dramatic gasp. "I bet you offended Kaldur! You should apologize to him!"

Conner's face twisted up in bafflement. "The fuck? How did…? NO!"

"You're such a bad friend!"

"Just shut up right now."

"Until you apologize! Kaldur can't help that he turned into a mermaid and is craving!"

"You know, I'm quite curious. If he's craving for seaweed, sea salt and water as a mermaid, I wonder what he'll crave when he's pregnant.", Zatanna thought aloud. Kaldur groaned while Roy grinned.

"Zatanna!", Black Canary scowled. "Inappropriate, young lady."

"What? Just curious. Ooh! Since you're a mermaid, Kaldur, you think you'll want to burst out in song at random? How about seduce people and then eat them?"

"Well, if he's going to be seducing someone it better be me.", Roy voiced. "He's not going to kiss any one of you. He's mine."

"You better hope he kisses you. Isn't there like some tale or something that if a mermaid falls in love with a man, she has to kiss him so he'll live underwater with her?", Bart asked.

"Amor, did you get that from 'Pirates of the Caribbean'? Which movie was it?", Jaime asked.

"Um… ah… don't remember.", M'gann answered, still keeping her eyes on Kaldur's tail. "Kaldur, how does your… um… tail feel?"

Kaldur flap the end of his tail twice, getting a feel of using it. "Very strange, but easy to control. Almost feels… natural.", he answered softly, descending into the water until it only came up to his chest. He didn't show it, but he was feeling absolute relief again. Roy had moved to sit on the edge of the pool, his clothes drenched. He, along with the others, watched as Kaldur disappeared once again in the water, resurfacing after a few seconds. Each individual knew that he was probably better now that he was somewhere familiar to the sea, but at the same time, they all pondered nervously of just how long it would take before Aqualad would turn back to normal.

* * *

The senior heroes had retired to the meeting room to have a deep discussion about Kaldur's current… um… predicament. At the moment, the first protégé of Aquaman was accompanied by his teammates. Tim had fetched him his wanted seaweed chips, no one asking where he got them, getting a well-deserved gratitude in return. Kaldur felt flustered under the watchful stares his friends were giving him, as if they were his guard dogs or something. "…"

He received only silence, even from Wally who looked as if he wanted to make a comment.

La'gaan had joined Kaldur in the pool, convinced that he indeed in need of a dip. Besides, he felt dry. Insanely dry. Damn surface. Why Ariel ever wanted to come up on land was still a mystery to him.

"…"

"So… Kaldur…", Zatanna started. "How do you feel?"

"Fine, thank you.", the Atlantean answered, allowing La'gaan to get a few of his seaweed chips before passing some to Wolf who enjoyed them. "I still do not feel like myself at all, I'm afraid."

"I guess you have to get use to the tail until a solution is brought up. In the meantime, we're going to help you out in any way possible… and necessary.", Tim declared, shooting a stern look at the others. Kaldur was indeed grateful for that. Tim had been blessed with the Bat Glare.

"You know, Kal, do you know your weight?", Bart asked.

Kaldur scrunched his nose in confusion, a chip in his mouth. He shook his head before swallowing it down. "I reckon that I should not remember."

"Hm."

"Why would you want to know?", Cassie asked suspiciously.

"Well, just wanted to see if Kaldur knew his own weight. Since you know… mermaids always know their weight…"

"Don't you dare."

"Because they have their own scales!", Bart finished, not caring if Roy was sending him a scowl that promised him an arrow in the ankle later.

"Oh no you didn't! Seriously?!", Artemis shouted.

Jaime groaned, shaking his head. "Unbelievable, ese."

Kaldur moaned in displeasure. Yup, mermaid jokes a-coming. M'gann noticed his sudden edgy state and placed a hand on his shoulder. "Oh, Kaldur, it will pass. No harm done.", she assured.

"Yeah, Kaldur, don't be such a nervous wreck.", Dick smiled.

Silence.

The first Boy Wonder wondered what made everyone so silent. He noticed a few looked to be holding back laughs while Kaldur looked even more uneasy. He backtracked his words and gasped.

"Oh my gosh! I so had no intention of that being a mermaid joke! I'm so sorry!", he apologized quickly as laughs filtered the room.

Conner blinked. "Wait, I don't get it. What the hell was the punchline?"

"When Nighty-Night said 'nervous wreck' everyone probably thought of a shipwreck that shakes at the bottom of the sea.", Wally voiced, placing an arm around his blushing boyfriend. "Babe, it's okay."

"It really is. And because of the innocence of the joke, I found it quite amusing.", Kaldur admitted with a small smile, his tail flicking back in forth within the water. He finished his first bag of seaweed chips and was about to dig into the second bag until Aquaman and Black Canary walked in, both with concerned expressions clear on their faces.

"Came to check on you guys.", the blond woman voiced, Aquaman giving a brief nod.

"Where's the rest of the League?", La'gaan asked, his question sort of muffled by the water since he currently is mouth deep in it. It felt nice. He is a water guy after all. Besides, the water was a relaxing kind of cold. Not 'OH MY GOD, KILER FROST IS TORTURING MY EYEBALLS WITH SNOWFLAKES' kind of cold.

"League business. Something about robots in Metropolis.", Black Canary answered. "Batman assigned us to check on you kids for a while."

"You realize most of us is close or already in our twenties, right? We're hardly considered kids anymore.", Roy sassed. Tim smacked his shoulder. "OW!"

"No sassing."

"We're also here to make sure _none_ of you are torturing Kaldur'ahm.", Aquaman sternly added.

The juniors gulped knowing that this king meant business. Kaldur'ahm was still a subject of his.

"Aquaman, we promise we won't do anything to Kaldur.", Cassie smiled. _'Nothing harmful anyways.'_

"You better. I have to head to Atlantis for a couple of days. Until then, Kaldur, you have to stay here at the Hideout, here in the pool, until this spell is over like we said earlier."

"Alone?", the girls asked, adding pouting lips. Kaldur just pouted in annoyance.

Black Canary had let out a soft chuckle. "We figured you all were going to keep him company here, that we also mentioned before. But again, warning you not to-"

"Cause any harm to Kaldur. We got it! We'll take care of him.", Conner assured.

"Very good care. As a matter of fact, is there anything you need, buddy? I'll run and go get it for you.", Wally offered, leaning closer to the blond Atlantean. Kaldur swam back just a little, clearing his throat.

"Not at the moment. I'm fine, Wally."

"You sure?"

"Positive."

"Alright then."

Kaldur sunk back down into the water, wondering if the team will accept a request of being left alone. It's what he wanted for the moment being.

* * *

The next few hours were promptly spent solely on making sure Kaldur was in comfort. For mermaids… mermen… merpeople… the comfiest they could be is being in water. So grabbing pillows and blankets wasn't the brightest ideas… until Cassie pointed out the girls was staying in the pool hall for the night. Kaldur knew then it wouldn't be anything fun for him, so he demanded the girls back to their own resting places and informed them that they didn't have to keep an eye on him 24/7. With pouts, Artemis, Cassie, M'gann, and Zatanna had obeyed. The others made sure that Kaldur had all the food and entertainment he would need while they were away. By nightfall, the pool area was cleared out, all sans for Kaldur and Roy.

"Are you sure you're going to be okay here?", the archer questioned, placing his hands on the sides of the other's face, looking him in his pale green eyes with seriousness. Kaldur nodded, placing his webbed hands over Roy's. "Just fine, Roy. Nothing to worry about, okay? Go home and get some rest while I take mine." Roy had let out a disapproving groan. He didn't like ever not having Kaldur sleeping next to him. Yes, some nights the Atlantean isn't sharing a bed with him, but those were the nights that Roy loathed with a passion. The couple already had a discussion about it, but it hadn't matter how deep it got. Roy still didn't improve on it. The redhead leaned closer and pressed a kiss on the side of Kaldur's lips. "Still don't like it. And how do you sleep anyways?"

"It may not be a bed… a water bed for that matter… but I can still sleep in it. Roy, my home is from under the sea. I'm used to sleeping underwater and have been doing it for years."

"Do you have a special pillow with your initial on it?", Roy teased. He caught the confused stare the other shot him. "Right. You haven't seen the 'between movie'… yet. Never mind. Just… um… yeah…"

Kaldur chuckled, leaned upwards and snaked his arms around his boyfriend's neck. "You will have to show it to me soon. But no, I don't have a pillow with my initial on it."

"I reckon you wouldn't."

The couple shared a soft, sweet kiss that second later. Roy's hands ventured downward to Kaldur's waist, resulting him into a position that rendered him lying on the stone floor. He didn't mind it at all. It was worth it with their tongues practically going at it like some war. Roy could taste the seaweed chips in Kaldur's mouth. It was rather tasty coming from his boyfriend's mouth. Well, to him, anything from Kaldur's mouth was pleasant. And believing so, Roy was awarded with a satisfied moan from the other, fingers kneading through his hair. Just from the touch alone, Roy knew Kaldur didn't like this as much as he did. Not the kissing, but the situation. To leave him? Alone? Practically vulnerable? No. NO!

Roy regretfully ended the kiss, groaning at his own dissatisfaction. "Are you sure you'll be okay?"

Kaldur pressed his hands against the sides of the other's face, briefly kissing his nose. "I will be just fine, Roy. I promise. Now go get some rest please.", he smiled softly before sinking into the water, probably to get his own rest. Roy took it as a sad sign for an exit, sighing and urging the need to track down the mermaid responsible himself.

* * *

The moment he heard footsteps, he knew he was no longer privileged peace as he was that morning. Especially since he heard giddy giggles. "Oh, Kal!", came a rather cheerful shout. Pale green eyes shifted from the pages of his book he was reading to the four females that came into the area, all dressed in clothes that practically said 'We went shopping.' The shopping bags in their grips further proved it. "Hi, Zatanna, Artemis, Cassie, and M'gann.", he greeted, closing his book. The girls sat down around him, setting down their bags, and keeping bright grins on their faces.

"We brought you gifts.", M'gann voiced, rummaging through a hot pink bag.

"Oh, you should not have.", Kaldur deadpanned.

"Oh, but we did. Think of it as early birthday gifts.", Artemis sassed.

"We thought you could use a few things.", Cassie added.

"And being the nice girl friends we are, we went ahead on with it. There was no stopping us.", Zatanna giggled.

This wasn't good, not fucking good at all. Kaldur wasn't stupid. Oh, he was the last person anyone should ever call stupid. He was rather intelligent and could read people like a pro. So, nothing was getting past him. No matter how innocent they looked right now, Kaldur wasn't letting the girls off the hook so easily.

"So you did, huh? What items did you purchase?", he questioned. He briefly remembered how the team was getting him gag gifts because of 'The Little Mermaid' situation. This obviously was going to be a repeat.

"Just things. Like this.", M'gann answered, pulling out a colorful box. She passed it to the blonde, giggling a little. The first thing Kaldur noticed about the box was the printed bubbles. Secondly, it was the glittery pink letters on it.

"Um…"

"We thought that even though you're a mermaid… merman… and is stuck here, it shouldn't stop you from having fun. Harmless fun. So, we brought just the right items for it!"

"Thoughtful of you and I thank you, but I don't think one box is enough."

"That's why we brought more than one box, silly!"

* * *

When they walked in, they didn't expect what they came face to face with. For starters, it smelled… fresher within the pool room. Second, it felt more cool and almost lively. Third, colors. And glitter.

"Um… what in the hell is going on here?", Roy asked, crossing his arms.

Zatanna lifted her sunglasses up just a bit from her eyes before pushing them back down and taking a sip of her smoothie. "Pool party, fellas."

"Pool party?", Garfield repeated.

"Pool party.", Cassie assured, bouncing a striped ball M'gann's way.

The scenery of the room had formed into something you would catch in a summer teenage magazine. Pool floaties, pool noodles and beach balls were scattered among the room, bubbles floating in the air, gleaming not clear, but shiny colors of the rainbow. The bubbles were coming from the bubble machines that were set up around them. The water that the girls, who were dressed in swimsuits, and Kaldur were swimming in was a much brighter blue, and probably cleaner. Within it was glitter that ranged from pink, blue, purple, and yellow. There was also bubbles in the pool, but foamier like the sea foam. It looked like one huge bubble bath really. And fun judging by the smile on Kaldur's face. Now, the Atlantean was in the foam bubbles, giggling.

"Oh my goodness, wait till Batman sees this.", Dick gasped, taking pictures, Tim nodding.

Cassie sighed. "It's not like we're hurting Kal or anything! He's having fun!"

"I am.", Kaldur admitted, swimming closer. The bubbles were plastered against his shoulders and head. Now he was closer in range, the other boys noticed just as attractive Kaldur was. Well, more attractive really. Oh boy, the mermaid allure was now kicking in. Roy's throat felt suddenly dry. _'Oh damn. I hope he doesn't sing or anything. Oh hell I just want to…'_ His thought was finished with a sexually frustrated groan. He bit his lip, trying not to feel so aroused. "The girls were kind enough to accompany me for a couple of swims.", Kaldur continued, looking back at said girls. "We turned the water into… what was it, Artemis?"

"A Mermaid Lake of Paradise. Kaldur's our queen mermaid."

"King merman.", Wally 'corrected', now noting that the girls were wearing swimsuits with mermaid scale imprints in various colors. Artemis glared at him.

"He is our queen and we shall keep it that way! If you have an issue with that, we will fucking _eat_ you after drowning you, Wallace!"

"Oh god, I'm sorry!", the speedster apologized, stepping back with his hands up in defense.

"What are you doing anyways, chica?", Jaime asked, curiously touching the water. He lifted his fingers out and saw that the glitter was sticking to them. "Hm."

"We're doing a roleplaying sort of thing. Kaldur's the queen and we're his daughters.", M'gann said, dipping into the bubbles while eating some seaweed chips Zatanna tossed her way.

"I thought we were his sisters.", said homo magi admitted.

"If he's the queen mermaid then we're his daughters.", Artemis said.

By now, Kaldur was blushing, feeling a bit embarrassed.

"Or both. We could be both.", Cassie suggested.

"Wouldn't that make Kaldur's mate his dad and husband?", Tim pondered.

Roy grinned at that. "I wouldn't mind that role!"

"You just want Kaldur to call you 'daddy', don't you?", Conner laughed, crossing his arms.

"Who says he didn't already?"

"ROY HARPER!", Kaldur shouted, his eyes narrowed and arms crossed. Roy winked at him. The blonde could only pout now, seeing that there was no stopping his boyfriend now.

"You girls are weird.", Bart sighed. He gasped when he was hit with a splash of water. He glared at the girls, not caring who did it. "Rude." Artemis shrugged, going back to paddling through the glittery and bubbly water. Zatanna had dipped into the water, done with her smoothie. Cassie and M'gann was now swimming around Kaldur, splashing water on him. La'gaan was standing there, pondering if he should join in. It took a while, but his inner Atlantean won. Tim, Conner, Wally, Dick, Garfield, Bart, Jaime and Roy was assaulted by water once La'gaan cannonballed right into the pool. Each of them groaned at their now soaked clothes and bits of glitter. "La'gaan, way to go, man!", Wally scowled. It went on deaf ears since La'gaan was now happily floating on his back, not minding the bubbles on his scaly green skin. The water was nice as it been before. Maybe even better. Artemis had swum up to him. "La'gaan, maybe you could be our brother.", she suggested, smirking at Conner's attempt to dry himself off with a nearby towel. Tim was standing there, gawking at him. Conner in a wet tee was absolutely mouth-watering.

The green skinned Atlantean chuckled, switching to his stomach. "In that case, making me Kaldur's son/brother?"

"Yup!"

"Okay, so mermaids are weird. No offense, Kaldur.", Garfield voiced. The blonde just shrugged, not feeling any offense because he really wasn't a mermaid… merman… per say. He was just turned into one.

"If Kaldur is your queen, where's his crown?", Dick asked with a small tilt of his head. Zatanna smirked. She jumped Kaldur, putting her arms around his shoulders and nuzzling his cheek from behind. Roy growled, not liking the closeness of it, but Kaldur had only patted her hair with a small platonic smile. "I'm glad you asked, Dickie!", the magician answered, lifting her hand towards a bright orange shopping bag she brought in earlier. "Gab, toalf revo ot em." The bag levitated into the air, casually floating over to Zatanna, getting some pretty weird looks from the others. When it reached her, she opened it and took out a box. "Saw this and thought how perfect it would be for Kaldur." Opening the box, she pulled out a rather shiny decorative object. "Here's his crown! Kal, don't you love it?", she asked, showing it to the slightly older one. The crown Zatanna held was formed out of shells, aligned by size and color in harmony, and jewels such as white crystals, black sapphires, and peridot crystals. Kaldur was indeed impressed by the artwork, but at the same time he was very… nervy about wearing it.

"Zatanna, that is very thoughtful of you girls to get me this crown, but I cannot-"

"You can and you will. Try it on.", Artemis interrupted, snatching the crown and placing it on Kaldur's head carefully. "Perfect fit! You look cute!"

Kaldur wanted to duck into the water, catching the amused looks from the boys and pleased grins from the girls. Although, he did look good with the crown on. The jewels matched his tail perfectly and really brought out the pale green of his eyes just as much of his new tail did.

"Looking good, Kaldur.", Wally teased. He received a glare and a formed splash of water his way. He groaned at the returned heaviness of his clothes. "Oh man."

"Don't tease him like that.", Tim sassed before snapping closer to the edge of the pool. "Girls, I'm sure Kaldur appreciates you keeping him company and treating him, but remember that he isn't a toy. He's not a new doll you can dress up, okay?"

Artemis, M'gann, Zatanna and Cassie pouted. "Oh, come on, Timmy! It's harmless!", Cassie whined.

Tim crossed his arms. "Think about how he feels about this situation. I know Kaldur can't be enjoying this in the slightest."

"Well, we're trying to help him make the best of it.", M'gann countered.

The other's eyes narrowed. "Just remember who Kaldur's related to.", he warned.

"Yeah, we better hope that _he_ doesn't get a whiff of this. He will have our asses.", Roy winced. "Especially mine. Babe, you know I still get nightmares about his threats?"

"I feel sorry for you.", Kaldur smirked. Roy mockingly gasped at his sass.

"Babe!"

"Love you."

"I bet. You're lucky you're so damn fine."

"That isn't the only reason you love me, right?", Kaldur inquired, a dark gleam in his eyes. It wasn't like his usual, but more… dangerous and alluring.

Roy gulped, a bit creeped out from it. "Of course, beloved."

"Good."

"I'm a bit hungry now.", La'gaan announced, floating on his back again.

There was a collective grumble of hungry stomachs. Artemis climbed out the water, grabbing a towel. "Snacks? Sandwiches, anyone?"

"I think Uncle B stocked up the kitchen for us. We could make subs!", Bart suggested excitedly before zooming out the room. Jaime chased after him, shouting at him to slow down. Everyone knew that was a lost cause.

"Wow. But a sub does sound nice.", Conner agreed.

"We should bring the supplies back here. Keep Kaldur company, you know?", Garfield suggested, handing his adopted sister a towel.

"Sounds like a plan. Roy, stay here and keep our queen company, okay?", M'gann voiced. Roy scoffed before jumping in the glittery water while La'gaan got out. He was smart to do so because Roy took that opportunity to embrace Kaldur and kiss him deep. After it, Roy grinned, eying Kaldur and allowing himself to be pulled into his charisma. "I'll keep him company alright."

* * *

Minutes later, the team came back with utensils, plates, and food to make their sub sandwiches. Cassie and Conner even carried in some foldable tables. They found Roy sitting on the pool's edge, Kaldur's crown next to him. Said Atlantean was nowhere in sight. "Um… Roy? Where's Kaldur?", Dick asked, placing down jars of mayonnaise on the table Cassie set up. The redhead archer turned to him and then back at the still blue glitter filled, bubbly water. The bubble machines were stopped a while ago. "In the water. Before then he looked really embarrassed or scared. Like suddenly."

"What did you do?", Artemis asked, stepping up to him with her arms crossed.

"I didn't do shit, blondie… to harm him. You know how many people would have been after my head if I did?"

"His mom, his dad, Black fucking Manta, Aquaman, Queen Mera…", Wally started to list off absentmindedly, more so focused on the sliced ham.

"Exactly. I don't know what's wrong with my wifey. I just know he suddenly ducked underwater. I tried calling to him, but he's actually ignoring me."

"I got this.", La'gaan volunteered, diving into the water. The others went about making their sub sandwiches, waiting for him to resurface with Kaldur. Seconds later, he did. Kaldur's face held that of an empty expression, but his eyes seemed to have been burning with anger. La'gaan sighed. "Well, I know what the problem is."

"What? Kal, what's wrong?", Zatanna asked.

La'gaan answered for him. "Well… um…" Or tried to.

Kaldur just moved his hands, signaling to his throat before making a 'X' with his arms. Bart tilted his head to the side. "Um… what?" Kaldur made a muffled grunt sound, pointing to his throat again.

"Something's wrong with your… throat?", Cassie guessed.

Kaldur nodded.

"Um… is it sore, amigo?", Jaime asked.

Kaldur shook his head.

"Ooh! Dry?! Is it dry?!", Garfield suggested.

Kaldur, Roy, and La'gaan shot him a deadpanned look. The shifter thought about it. "Right. Underwater. Forgot for a minute."

"I think it's his voice really. You can't talk?", Conner stated.

Kaldur nodded again. Roy's eyes widened. "Oh god, please don't tell me you can't talk period. As if your voice is completely gone."

A sad nod.

"Fucking shit! Curse you, Disney! And curse that scaly bitch! When I'm through with her, she's gonna really know karma's a bitch before I'm going to eat her!"

* * *

After sandwiches and Roy's rant, the team called in Batman to inform him of the recently received news. When he came in, he tried to ignored the bubbles that were back to floating around the room and the glitter. "Alright, I'm just going to pretend I don't see this going on."

"Mermaid Lake of Paradise.", M'gann stated, she, Zatanna, Cassie and Artemis floating just behind Kaldur.

"Okay, yeah. To the matter at hand, what's going on with Kaldur'ahm now?"

"His voice is gone. Like no joke, Uncle Bats. Like seriously, no joke. Ariel style.", Wally said.

Batman kind of stood there for a while, eying Kaldur with silent judgement. "…"

"A lot to take in, huh?", Dick teased.

"I'll say. I also believe that this spell isn't wearing off very soon. Kaldur's a little… too attractive right now.", Bart admitted, not meeting Roy's glare.

"Ah. Mermaid's allure. It's in their nature to draw in men with their looks since they are undeniably attractive.", Batman stated.

"Would this mean what I think it means?", Zatanna winced.

Batman nodded, knowing exactly what she was hinted at. "Kaldur's changing more and more into a mermaid… merman… meaning that pretty soon, he's not even going to be himself. If he's already attracting you boys, you have by all means stay away from him. He might-"

"Eat us?", Tim guessed. Kaldur's eyes widened at the thought of it. He couldn't imagine killing and feasting on someone, let alone a friend of his. Hell, let alone his own boyfriend!

"In that case, Roy's in more trouble than any of us.", Artemis deadpanned.

Roy scoffed. "Hell no! I can't just leave Kaldur!"

"Roy, you have to stay away from him. He won't be able to recognize you if it gets to that state… maybe. Either way you're not safe."

"Listen, Crock, the last thing I ever want to do is-" Kaldur swam up to the archer, forcing himself upward to wrap his arms around Roy's neck. Roy held onto him, feeling his lips on his ear. "Love, I don't—" Kaldur made a whine of protest, tightening his hold on Roy's neck for a brief moment. He pulled back just enough to look him in his darker eyes. Through that look alone, Roy could tell Kaldur was trying to convince him to listen to the others for his own safety. It wasn't a walk in the park for Roy to do because he would risk his own safety for Kaldur despite the many talks they had. The redhead sighed. "Alright, alright. For you, I'll stay away. But not for long. We're going to find that mermaid and force her to change you back. I admit you are unquestionably sexy as a mermaid, but I like it when you have two legs."

"I want to say the reason, but I almost threw up in my mouth trying to say it.", Artemis laughed. Kaldur flicked water at her, but she didn't complain.

Batman crossed his arms, sighing. "You're right about finding that mermaid. I'll see if I can get in contact with Aquaman. In the meantime, you boys have to stay away from Kaldur. Including you, Roy.", he demanded. The said archer groaned, placing his forehead against Kaldur's while tightening his hold on him.

"Uuuuuggghhhh… I don't like this!"

"Roy, stop being a damn baby. Kaldur's a big boy, he can take care of himself. Besides, us girls will be here watching him and stuff.", Cassie assured.

"That's what I'm afraid of."

"Harper, he'll be okay. We promise nothing will happen to Kaldur.", Artemis promised, holding up both hands to give truth to it.

Roy eyed her, still holding onto Kaldur who looked done by now. "Hm. Fine. But if I find one scale out of place, I'll make you regret it. Got it?"

"Crystal clear, o' scary one!", M'gann teased. Kaldur made a small noise to Roy so he wouldn't growl at her. He was quickly pulled into, nuzzling the turned mermaid and kissing him on the nose before moving to his lips.

* * *

It's been a few days since then. As promised, the girls have been taking care of Kaldur, keeping him company whenever they felt he seemed lonely. The boys patrolled for any weird mermaid activity. Since Kaldur's accident, the mermaids seem to have vanished, as if they knew they would be hunted down. Roy was getting antsy about the whole thing. He would talk to the girls about how Kaldur was doing, finding out the Atlantean still couldn't talk and had gotten an increase in appetite. Sometimes, it was as if Kaldur wasn't himself. He was more… mermaid-y. Mischievous like splashing water, or more active such as braiding Zatanna's hair. He didn't seem to object when M'gann painted his nails a sheer peach coral color. Or when Artemis shown him the new mermaid themed sweatshirt she brought him. Icing on the 'not so sweet' cake was that physically Kaldur was changing. His allure had increased, drawing in more attention than he intended. Also, scales were now adorning his shoulders and the edges of his face. His nails were longer, still painted, while his eyes deepened in color.

Honestly, it was a terrifying process. The girls noticed how Kaldur would get a twisted look on his face. It ranged from pissed to beyond pissed angry to cute puppy dog sad.

They figured they should bring in more items for his entertainment. Unfortunately, he didn't care for electronics, books or even games.

It wasn't until they gathered into a secret meeting to discuss the situation on the two-week mark of Kaldur's transformation.

So that he wouldn't hear, Artemis, Zatanna, Cassie and M'gann located themselves down the hall in a spare bedroom.

"Okay, so he's emotional and that's not normal… for Kaldur's sake.", Cassie started, bluntly, arms crossed.

"I wonder what could be wrong with him now. I wish he could tell us, but… the voice thing.", Zatanna added in with a pout, flipping her hat in her hands. Artemis glanced her way with a questioning look.

"You didn't try any spells?"

"I did. Apparently, my spells don't work against mermaid transformation ones. Or just mermaid magic altogether. And when I tried, I swore Kaldur looked as if he wanted to jump out the water and kill me."

M'gann winced at the thought. "Geez. Maybe he's… um… lonely!"

"M'gann, we're here.", Cassie informed.

The green skinned one shook her head, red hair falling on her shoulders. "No, I meant _lonely_ -lonely. He's missing Roy. He may have an appetite of eating attractive guys, but deep down, he still remembers his bond with Roy. Isn't there somewhere in mermaid myths that if a mermaid falls in love with a man, her kiss can save him from ever being harmed from any other mermaid?"

"Pirates of the Caribbean."

"Checked with Aquaman. It's true.", Cassie voiced.

"Ah."

"Anyways, maybe it is Roy."

"What is Roy?"

The girls had realized that they left the door opened when they heard the question. They saw that it was Wally at the entrance of the room, donning his uniform, his googles up and hood off. The girls exchanged glances before looking back at him.

"What are you doing here, Mr. Speedy Gonzalez?", Artemis asked.

Ignoring the nickname, Wally shrugged. "They sent me to check on everything here. They're still looking for the mermaid and I promise you Roy is about to lose his shit.", Wally answered with a pained shiver.

"I would, too, if my bae got turned into a mermaid and would eat me.", Zatanna agreed with an all-knowing nod.

"Ditto. So what's this about Roy?"

"Kal's been kind of moody lately and we figured he's just missing his boyfriend.", M'gann voiced, her attention suddenly focused on something else. Cassie seemed to quickly catch on her swift change of her stare seconds later.

"Is… is that what I think it is?"

"What? You hear something?", Wally asked.

M'gann led the others out the room and down the hall. Halfway, the others could hear some music. Coming. From. The. Pool. Room.

"No way…", Artemis gasped, hearing the most melodically, striking voice she ever heard. The others had seemed to agree with the shocked expressions on their faces. They peeked into the room, finding the source of the singing.

"Am I seeing this right?", Zatanna asked.

"Yes. He's… he's…", Cassie trailed off, impressed.

"Wow. It's so pretty!", M'gann squealed.

Wally didn't say a word, his eyes glazed over.

In the water, was indeed Kaldur, resting over the edge of the pool with a laptop and small waterproof speakers on front of him. He wasn't looking at the screen, more so relaxed with his head resting on his arms. It wasn't clear if he knew _what_ he was doing, but it's not like anyone wanted him to stop doing it. Days, days he went without speaking because he couldn't. Or because he had a newfound talent for singing. Lyrics were aimlessly flowing from his lips, not missing a beat and keeping in tune to the song that played. His angelic intonation matched well with the piano music playing, his octave not too deep or too high. It was just… _perfect_.

 _ **See I need you**_

 _ **And baby, I need to let down my guard**_

 _ **And give you my scars**_

 _ **Open up my heart**_

 _ **We could be stars**_

 _ **We could be stars**_

 _ **We could be stars**_

"Fuck me sideways, I didn't know he could sing!", Zatanna exclaimed excitedly.

"Well… Zee, we're not sure if that's mermaid magic or not. He could be... a terrible singer.", Cassie informed, trying her best not to squeal over Kaldur's singing.

"Not from what Roy tells us. Just be glad we got to see this without.. yeah…", Artemis said, her nose twitching at an unwelcomed image of Roy 'convincing' Kaldur to sing. "Besides, he's too pretty and he's from Atlantis."

"Mermaid jokes? Really? Now?", M'gann questioned.

"M'gann, apparently Wally's too high on mermaid enchantment to actually make a joke.", the archer defended. It took a couple of seconds, but she then noticed the said speedster strolling dumbfoundedly over to Kaldur. "Oh shit! Wally, no!"

The girls rushed in behind him, catching Wally from falling in the water before Kaldur noticed. The Atlantean was taken by surprise at the shouts, tattoos glowing to ready to defend him. He relaxed seeing it was just the girls and Wally. Wait…

Kaldur frantically pointed at the redhead male, still unable to speak even though he could sing. Zatanna figured out his sudden worry and nodded in understanding. "Sorry, Kal. We heard you singing and Wally got pulled under your spell. He was close to becoming your meal." The Atlantean was still for a moment, his eyes darting to Wally. His lips then curled into a deadly smirk and his eyes brightened, but not with that Kaldur's shine. It was more of the last of the real him had actually left. The girls noticed, quickly forcing Wally back away from the pool. Kaldur apparently wasn't having it.

 _ **Let go  
I let my voice be heard, then listen for the echo  
My own reverb is playing  
Cause I'm a movement  
There's dissonance, sometimes I make mistakes  
So I'm human after all, I'm not your expectations  
But play, rest, repeat, that's what they ask of me  
Just stick to this melody and stay between the lines  
But I'll play what's best for me  
I'll ring the bells and crash the cymbals  
My harmonious desire**_

"Ooh, Kaldur's is officially a troll.", Artemis deadpanned, Wally slipping from her grip.

Zatanna growled, trying to keep a hold on the speedster's uniform. "No. Kaldur's officially gone. We're facing an actual mermaid… merman… now!"

"This is shitty!", M'gann cursed, Wally freeing himself and heading closer to the now completely changed Kaldur. Cassie pounced on him, sending them both into the water. They quickly resurfaced, Wally absentmindedly swimming towards Kaldur. He would have gotten far, but Cassie kept a strong grip on him. She was resisting using her super strength before to not hurt them, but at this point it was necessary. "Fuck no, we're not doing this today!", she groaned. Seeing what she was doing, the inner mermaid in Kaldur became displeased, not wanting to lose a good meal. She and the other three were shocked to see him hiss, fangs shown.

"He's got fangs!", Artemis shouted manically, she and M'gann taking hold of Kaldur's shoulders and forcing back against the edge of the pool so he couldn't swim to Wally and Cassie. "You just had to come, huh, Wallace?!"

"Cassie, make sure he doesn't drown.", Zatanna ordered before pointing a finger towards Wally. "Yllaw, og ot peels." The speedster went unconscious, not struggling anymore to be Kaldur's first human meal. Cassie flung him over her shoulder and flew out the water, placing Wally on the floor. She looked over at the other girls and sighed. "I think I should go get it." They nodded, knowing exactly what she was talking about.

* * *

A sigh could be heard, mixing with the unionized sound of footsteps and struggles. Artemis, Cassie, M'gann, Zatanna and Wally glanced up to see Batman, Aquaman, Tim, Conner, Garfield, La'gaan, Dick, Bart, Jaime and Roy coming into the room. With an added party. Conner and Jaime had kept a firm grip on the mermaid who caused the mess in the first. They ignored her muffled insults, her mouth covered by tape. Waterproof. Don't ask.

"We finally found her! It took a shitload of time, but… where in the hell is my Kaldur?!", Roy questioned sternly, not seeing Kaldur into the pool. The girls and Wally pointed to the far right of the room in silence. The just arrived group came to the sight of Kaldur, sitting at the bottom floor of an oversized _fish tank_ with his arms crossed and a pissed off pout on. There was also a lid at the top of it. Roy saw red. "Why the fuck is he in that?!"

"He almost ate Wally.", M'gann answered tiredly.

"Say what?", Garfield gasped.

"And when did we get the fish tank?", Conner asked.

"Kaldur apparently can sing his ass off like a pro. Unfortunately, that lures in his snacks which Wally almost became. I can't put a spell on Kaldur so I just conjured up a lid, it just muffles well enough for the spells to not work.", Zatanna answered blandly.

"As for the tank, remember when we had that one mission with the oversized fish and we had to test it? Yeah.", Artemis reminded. "I actually can't believe we forgot about that. So many fish jokes could have been made."

"Yeah, yeah. Can you guys remove the lid?", Roy requested.

Zatanna rolled her eyes. "Dil, hsinav!"

When the obstacle was removed, Kaldur quickly made his way to the top of the tank to hang over it. Roy walked up to him and grabbed his hands. "I missed you.", he whispered, his mouth inches from Kaldur's. Despite now being fully controlled by mermaid instincts, Kaldur smiled, feeling his chest stir in happiness. He pressed his forehead against Roy's, exhaling softly, sensing some of his true self coming back.

"How did you guys get her?", Cassie asked, walking up to the queen mermaid. She brushed off the glare she was shot with.

"It wasn't easy, but thank goodness for Batman.", Tim breathed, eying his mentor with pride. Batman patted his shoulder before walking over to the mermaid with a glare. She would have tried to kick him, but she made that mistake before and didn't want to do it again. Besides, it took a lot to conjure up legs.

"Now, Ursula, you're going to turn him back or so help me I will personally turn you into seafood.", the Dark Knight threatened. The mermaid huffed behind the tape before pointing to it. Aquaman stepped up, eyebrow raised. "No funny business, right?" The mermaid nodded in understanding. Without hesitation, Bart ripped the tape off. "OW! THAT HURT!", the scaly enchantress hissed. "Sorry."

"Can you change Kaldur back now?", La'gaan requested. The mermaid walked over to where Kaldur and Roy was, placing hands on her hips.

"And why should I? What if he likes being that way?"

"I really don't. Can you just change me back? I almost ate one of my friends!", Kaldur protested, almost ready to jump out the tank to fight her. His voice was more divine than before. The mermaid pouted.

"Oh. You make such a cute little mermaid."

"Merman. And not so much when he's ready to eat people!", Zatanna scowled. "Change him back."

"I can't. I can only turn humans into mermaids, not reverse. Eternally."

"Well, Kal's only half human, so…", Garfield trailed off.

Roy had let go of Kaldur to storm over to the mermaid, growling at her. "Look, bitch. Don't feed us that 'it's forever' shit, alright? Change him back so I swear to all things good, evil and in fucking between, you will regret it."

The mermaid's iridescent violets narrowed. "Oh? You dare harm me?"

"I would love to, but I know someone who would love it more."

"I would just change him back because Kaldur comes from a family of some pretty scary people. So uh… yeah…", Dick voiced.

The mermaid huffed before she stood in front of Kaldur and placed hands on his scaly shoulders. "Alright. Fine. By Poseidon, you would have made a lovely addition to my family. The girls always wondered what it would have been like to have a little brother.", she whined as her eyes glowed. She chanted something in some unknown language, colorful swirls surrounded Kaldur's body. Roy's eyes widened in alert before he turned to Bart. "Hey, go grab some clothes or something, fast." The younger speedster did without a word. When the mermaid stopped, Roy frantically stood in front of Kaldur and glared at the others. "Cover your eyes now!"

Some of them (Conner, Wally, and Jaime) yelped doing so. Batman and Aquaman just exchanged glances, turning around. Inside the fish tank, Kaldur groaned in embarrassment, feeling back to normal, but oh so exposed. "Why? Just why?" Roy kissed his forehead, helping him out the tank and holding him bridal style. Kaldur noticed the lustful, mischievous gleam in the archer's eyes. "Roy?"

"You should be nude more often."

"I'm so glad you said that before I came into the room, so I don't actually look. Who knows what you two would have been doing?", Bart sassed, coming in with a pile of clothes and his eyes covered. Roy just took the clothes and handed them to his boyfriend who rushed into a corner to get dressed, using the redhead as cover. When he was done, he told the others it was safe to look. Conner was the first to muffle a laugh that was ready to escape his throat. "Oh my damn, what the hell are you wearing, Kaldur?"

Kaldur sighed, just glad he was clothed and honestly didn't care he was standing in sea foam green sweatpants and a mermaid themed sweatshirt to match. This one said 'Fish, Don't Kill My Vibe' in silver-blue glitter outlined in sea foam green. The rest of the sweatshirt was pastel lilac with pink mermaids on it. "Adorable!", M'gann cooed, hugging Kaldur. "Welcome back to the land of the surface dwellers!"

Wiggling his toes, Kaldur exhaled in relief. "Glad to be back."

"Since he's back to normal, I'll be escorting you back.", Aquaman said, glaring at the queen mermaid.

She pouted again. "Oh, he made such a cute mermaid. It's a shame really. But remember if you ever want to change back come and find me, little Atlantean.", she giggled before she, Batman and Aquaman left out.

Jaime groaned. "Damn it. Does this mean we can't make any more mermaid jokes?"

"Give or take another month.", Roy teased, snaking an arm around Kaldur and kissing his cheek affectionately. "Legs doing okay?"

"Just fine, thank you. And thank you girls for keeping me company."

"It was no problem, Kal. You're still our Mermaid Queen, tail or not.", Artemis replied smugly.

Garfield crossed his arms, an eyebrow jolting upwards. "So… what's this about you singing?"

Kaldur's face turned red, his mind filled with what happened hours before. "…"

"Speechless again?", Dick teased, throwing an arms around his adoptive brother's shoulders. "You just got turned back!"

"Hey, hey, hey. Leave him alone now. How about we go watch a movie or something?", Tim suggested, still feeling sorry for Kaldur. Someone had to.

"Alright."

The group went to leave the room, Kaldur taking the lead. Roy and Wally stayed in the pool room for a while, smirks on their faces. "Should we? Mermaid jokes aren't the only we can make.", Wally voiced smugly.

"Yeah. He's gonna kill us later, but worth it."

The two redheads made their way to the living room where the others were. Zatanna was looking through the movies with a pout. "I would love some suggestions right now."

Sparing a glance over to his boyfriend, Roy's smirk got bigger. "Anyone up for another Disney movie?"

"If it involves mermaids…", Jaime trailed off warningly."

"Nope. I was thinking more… 'Atlantis: The Lost Empire'."

* * *

He honestly didn't think that the following day could be the start of another round of torture. He really didn't. He woken up with a good feeling, relieve that the mermaid mess was over. Though, he was sure the girls had footage and pictures of the whole thing from the cameras. Kaldur released a soft groan at the thought of it. Artemis was sure to use it all as blackmail later.

"Okay, so what do they have in common?", the Atlantean heard as he came into the room. He caught sight of his fellow team mates huddled in a circle, Roy writing in a paper pad. Curious, he stepped closer and decided to hover over Roy to see what was going on.

"Hey, what are you doing?", he asked.

"Oh, nothing really just coming up with a list of commonalities that you and another share.", Garfield answered sheepishly. Kaldur's eyebrow raised in immediate suspicion. They stared back at him, guilt written clear on their faces. They knew they couldn't hide anything from him. They have tried many times, but Kaldur was the mother that knew her kids… and husband in Roy's case. He placed webbed hands on his hips, a small frown on his lips.

"Fess up."

"We're not doing anything! Honest!", Cassie squealed.

"Right. Fess up."

Knowing Kaldur was eventually going to know, Wally sighed in defeat. "Alright, alright. But one question before we tell you. If you're the queen of Atlantis now, _Kida_ , would that make Milo the king?"

"What are you… wait! Did you just call me 'Kida'? Seriously, you guys are going to start making Atlantis jokes now?"

"Hey! It's better than the mermaid thing! You have more in common with Kida than Ariel anyways!", Bart protested.

"Yeah… we both have tanned skin that looks so damn… yeah.", Artemis added in.

"You have 'K' names that are shortened, you speak Atlantean and other languages. I caught you the other day cursing in Portuguese.", Zatanna voiced.

"I speak a totally different Atlantean."

"I'm seconding that.", La'gaan agreed.

Conner shrugged. "There's also the light hair and eyes, combat skills, sweet, and also sassy. You both can be sassy."

"Ooohh! Don't forget how they both look good with minimum clothing!", Roy added, getting up and snaking an arm around Kaldur's waist. "Royalty."

"I'm not royalty, love."

"Kal, Black Manta is technically the king of pirates, man. That makes you a prince.", Wally intervened. "You also make great leaders. And you have body markings and magic."

"And redhead lovers.", Tim deadpanned, looking through a book. Feeling Kaldur's on him, he shrugged much how his own boyfriend did. "Sorry, Kaldur. Just saying though."

Kaldur sighed, knowing this wasn't going to go away for a while.

* * *

 **Be honest, on a scale of 1 through 7 (that's my favorite number, don't judge) how… 'okay' was it? Just okay.**

 **Now, I am going to write a story about the ramen noodles incident. Because let's be honest, we all want to see the Team giving their mentors the stink eye. Out of comedy though! Over food! I need that, too! But seriously, I practically grew up on Disney, and I'll be honest, I love 'The Little Mermaid', but 'Atlantis: The Lost Empire' will probably also be one of my favorites. I just really wanted to write something with mermaids, Koy, and humor. And I came up with this. This is what happens when you get bored, watch parodies and grab your laptop, kids. Also, I can't be the only one who thought of this. So Artemis x Kaldur is SeaArrow, right? Couldn't that apply to Roy x Kaldur, too? Roy's an archer like Artemis. Ooh! Maybe RedSea, if that's not a ship name in the YJ fandom. Because you know… Roy wears red. He's the Red Arrow. If that ship name not already established, I'm calling it!**

 **Anyways, comment, favorite, follow, read it over, anything at this point really. Just makes me happy that people actually read my work.**


End file.
